Millions bathe in Ganges for Hindu Kumbh Mela festival

Millions of Hindus plunge into the Ganges River in India at the start of the
Kumbh Mela festival, thought to be one of the largest human congregations in
the world.

12:08PM GMT 14 Jan 2013

Devout Hindus led by naked ascetics with ash smeared on their bodies bathed in the frigid waters of India's holy Ganges River on Monday in a ritual they believe can wash away their sins.

The ceremony in the northern city of Allahabad took place on the most auspicious day of the Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival, one of the world's largest religious gatherings that lasts 55 days.

Over 110 million people are expected to take a dip at the Sangam, the place where three rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati – come together at the edge of this North Indian city.